A portion of the Spring Creek Greenway Trail will be closed for repair between mile markers 6.0 (Carter Park) and 8.0 starting Monday, June 1, and will reopen on Monday, June 15.

Spring Creek Greenway

The Spring Creek Greenway connects and protects approximately 7,000 acres of forest in Harris County along Spring Creek, preserving this ecological gem as a mecca for ecotourism, education, and outdoor recreation just north of Houston.

Explore more than 19 miles of natural forests and white sandy beaches along Spring Creek by visiting Harris County Precinct 4’s park system! Stop by for a picnic, discover local wildlife and plant species, enjoy canoeing and kayaking, archery, and nature trails perfect for hiking and biking. Visit the Spring Creek Greenway today to experience the great outdoors!

“Greenways allow us to treat land and water as a system, as interlocking pieces in a puzzle, not as isolated entities.”

Edward T. McMahon, American Greenways Program

PROJECT HISTORY & UPDATES

With the leadership of former Harris County Judge Jon Lindsay, Harris County began purchasing land along Spring Creek in 1979 to develop what was known as the Cypress Creek Parks Project. Former Commissioner Jerry Eversole continued the project in 2003 after partnering with local organizations to connect tracts of land from Pundt Park in Spring to U.S. 59 near Humble. As the project expanded, it was renamed the Spring Creek Greenway (SCG).

Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner R. Jack Cagle officially opened the second phase of the Spring Creek Greenway in March 2012 with a 7.5-mile long segment along the banks of Spring Creek connecting Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center, Harris County’s Cypresswood Golf Course, Stahl Preserve, and Pundt Park.

The third phase opened in May 2014, extending west from Pundt Park to Dennis Johnston Park and adding 12 miles of contiguous trail along the greenway.

More recently, a 2-mile section was added to the Judy Bell Trail in 2017 within Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center as a continuation to U.S. 59. Now, with more focus on developing the trail west of Interstate 45, Harris County plans to open a 2.75-mile segment from Springwoods Village to Rothwood in the summer of 2020.

BENEFITS

Spring Creek is the only undeveloped creek in Harris County other than Clear Creek. All other creeks and bayous (i.e. Greens, White Oak, Buffalo, etc.) have either been channelized or concreted.

Spring and Cypress creeks feed into the San Jacinto River, which in turn feeds into Lake Houston, the major supplier of drinking water for Houston and Harris County residents. The Spring Creek Greenway has a direct and positive impact on the water quality of the Lake Houston watershed.

Limited industry and development along Spring Creek has prevented pollution levels from increasing.

Dozens of migrating bird species depend on the Spring Creek Greenway to refuel and recharge on the way to and from their nesting grounds.

White bass are plentiful in the winter, while hybrid bass, catfish, and shad are plentiful at other times of the year.

Bald eagles, herons and egrets, along with many other wildlife species, inhabit and depend on the natural habitat of the Spring Creek Greenway.

GOALS

The land purchases, partnerships, and continuous advancement of the Spring Creek Greenway in the past 30 years has led to the creation of 19 miles of trails in Harris County Precinct 4, with the goal of eventually protecting as much as 40 miles of wooded greenspace on the south side of Spring Creek.

Precinct 4 hopes to add interpretive signage along the contiguous trail and waterway, featuring historical and ecological information to help visitors further enjoy and appreciate nature.

Although Precinct 4 can acquire and develop property only on the south side of Spring Creek in Harris County, Bayou Land Conservancy has worked diligently with Montgomery County to secure property on the north side.

The Spring Creek Greenway is now the largest forested urban greenway in the United States, according to Bayou Land Conservancy, one of several partnering agencies on the greenway project. Precinct 4 strives to continue growing the educational and recreational opportunities along Spring Creek through the Trails As Parks division and lasting partnerships with local conservation organizations.

Get outside and on the water at one of our educational and recreational activities.

Do you give tours of the SCG?

Can you canoe/kayak the ponds and lakes in Precinct 4 parks?

The only Precinct 4 pond or lake at which canoeing and kayaking is permitted is Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve, and reservations are not required. To access Spring Creek or its associated waterways from a Precinct 4 launch, reservations are required. Precinct 4 does not rent or sell canoes or kayaks but offers free canoeing through Trails As Parks (TAP).